Welcome to Notes on Work and Life.
I’m so glad you’re here.
This isn’t your traditional business newsletter.
This is about how to thrive in business and keep your soul while doing it.
If you’re trying to do business in a more ethical and human way, looking for more meaning at work, or trying to live with more purpose, this newsletter is for you.
To help you on your journey, I’ll be sharing insights from business, history, and culture, along with stories from my time in online education and banking.
If you like long, thoughtful essays with creative ideas, personal life stories, and lots of subtle humor, you’ve come to the right place.
If you don’t like long essays, you’ll be happy to hear I include a lot of beautiful travel photos too.
I publish every other week on Thursday mornings.
Table of Contents
Develop Character
Courage and Resilience
Personal Growth
Find Meaning
Grow Your Business
Brand Building & Customer Experience
Hiring
Marketing
Strategy
Build Your Career
Choosing the Right Path
Leadership & Communication
Work-Life Balance
Interviews and Substack Live Sessions:
Here are a few of my favorite posts.
80% Reliable. 20% Weird.
Most brands are forgettable.
Rory Sutherland, one of my favorite authors, often talks about how brands need to be a bit more irrational. Here’s why that’s important.
Don't Worry. They Already Don't Like You.
Who else influences your decisions, your self worth, your actions?
Former friends? Former college buddies? Random LinkedIn connections you only kind of know? Future children? Future bosses? People who thought you were dumb in high school? That one professor who never liked your writing? That one date who thought you had no potential?
When Was Last Time You Saw Something Sublime?
At night, you might think to yourself “Did anything good even happen today? Do I even remember what happened, good or bad?”
String enough of these days together and you get a boring, unfulfilling life.
That said, what’s even worse than being busy is becoming so drawn into modern-day materialism that you simply stop looking for the sublime.
Or, that you become too afraid to talk about it.
About me:
I grew up in Southern California and have lived in the Midwest and Northeast. Now, I live in Virginia about an hour from D.C.
I spent the first five years of my career in online education, managing a startup online high school program and helping it grow to over 1600 students.
Then, I earned my MBA at the University of Notre Dame and spent the next five years at JPMorgan Chase, working in analytics, finance, and business development before running their personal finance video education hub.
Now, I work as a consultant and write about how people can pursue success without sacrificing meaning.
In my free time, I like classic literature, punk rock, and spending time in nature. I also love to travel and have spent time in about a dozen countries, from China to Lebanon.
To learn more, check out my full About page. You can also find me on LinkedIn.
© 2026 Colin Black
Very Nice Colin